Clinton Sends Personal Letter to Suu Kyi

By LALIT K JHA Monday, November 22, 2010
WASHINGTON—US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent a personal letter early last week to Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to a State Department spokesman, though he would not divulge the details of the message.

“She [Clinton] has sent a personal letter to Aung San Suu Kyi in recent days. We’ve had direct discussions with her and our chargé in Burma,” spokesman P J Crowley told reporters on Friday.

Although he declined to divulge the details of the letter, Crowley said the US foreign secretary may soon call Aung San Suu Kyi.

“I would anticipate that at some point she [Clinton] may well reach out to Aung San Suu Kyi,” Crowley said as he expressed his disappointment that some of Burma's neighbors, including China and India, on Thursday had voted against a UN resolution on Burma that expressed concern over the military junta’s human rights record.

“[The US] will continue to talk to other countries in the region, particularly countries that have relationships with Burma, and with the government there. And we believe there needs to be a strong, unified, firm message that there needs to be change in Burma,” Crowley said.

“The election that just happened is not part of the change that we think is necessary. We didn’t see that as legitimate. We don’t think that Aung San Suu Kyi should have been detained in any event. But now that she has been released, she should maintain the right to communicate if she sees fit, to meet with her advisors as she sees fit, reconstitute her party as she sees fit,” he said.

“We place a special responsibility on the government of Burma to guarantee her safety as she goes about these steps, which we think are critical to Burma’s future. Ultimately, Burma has to change,” Crowley asserted.

“It has to have greater political space. It has to have a meaningful dialogue with other ethnic groups. That’s the only way that Burma’s going to be able to move away from its current isolation. But this is a conversation that we have had with China, with India, with other countries, and we will continue that conversation,” said the State Department official.

Meanwhile, Burmese in the US have started an online petition campaign urging UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to ensure Suu Kyi's safety and security. The petition urged Ban to pay Suu Kyi an official visit at the earliest opportunity to ascertain her immediate needs.

Ban has also been urged to issue a public statement pledging the power of his office to diligently monitor her safety and security, and to ensure that she is permitted to continue her work without interference from the country’s authorities.
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